Amazon Funds Unproven SMR Project for Indiana Datacenters

Amazon is funding the development of a nuclear facility in Sullivan County, Indiana, to power its datacenters, as The Register first reported. The project involves the construction of 12 Xe-100 small modular reactors (SMRs) at the site of a former coal power plant. Once operational, the facility is expected to provide 960 megawatts of grid-connected electricity, with Amazon serving as the first power purchaser.

While Amazon stated it is "investing billions in nuclear energy projects," the company did not disclose the specific amount of cash allocated to this project. X-energy utilizes Tri-Structural ISOtropic (TRISO) fuel pellets cooled by helium gas, but The Register notes that the company has not yet built a single working reactor.

Timeline expectations remain uncertain. A representative from X-energy told the South Bend Tribune that the project could be completed as early as the mid-2030s, though that date is subject to change.

Challenges regarding U.S. nuclear permitting persist. The Register reports that no operable SMR has been built in the U.S. to date. While Nuscale is the only U.S. firm to receive a standard design approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), it has yet to construct a reactor. Other firms, including Kairos Power, General Electric, and TerraPower, have pursued site-specific permits. X-energy claims to be in the final phases of NRC approval for a separate project in Texas for Dow Chemical, but Amazon told The Register it will not be involved in securing the approvals for the Indiana plant, acting instead as an investor and initial customer to help "de-risk" the technology.